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'Digital Key' standard uses your phone to unlock your car
You can already use your smartphone as a car key if you own the right vehicle (just ask Tesla Model 3 owners). There hasn't really been a common standard for it, though, and that has hurt adoption -- you can't guarantee that you'll have phone access if you switch brands, or even individual models. You might soon have a solution. The Car Connectivity Consortium, a mix of major smartphone and automotive brands, has posted a Digital Key 1.0 standard (PDF) that will let you download (what else?) a virtual key that can unlock your vehicle, start the engine and even share access with other drivers.
Gemalto: NSA attacked our SIMs, but not on a grand scale
SIM chip maker Gemalto has confirmed that US and UK intelligence services likely attacked it, but said it "could not have resulted in a massive theft of SIM encryption keys." Its comments stemmed from a recent Edward Snowden leak, which revealed a coordinated attack on Gemalto by the NSA and British GCHQ. Following an internal investigation, the previously low-profile company said that a "sophisticated" intrustion by the intelligence agencies did occur in 2010-11 for the purpose of intercepting encyption keys sent to carriers. The attacks consisted of email "phishing" and spying on office networks, and several attempts were made to access the PCs of individual Gemalto employees.
SIM card maker Gemalto investigates spy agencies' hack attack
When word of a savvy hack conducted by agents of two intelligence agencies against SIM maker Gemalto broke yesterday, company representatives seemed to be caught completely off-guard. Now, with egg on its face and a security backlash in the offing, Gemalto's publicly pledging to look into The Intercept's scary allegations. "We cannot at this early stage verify the findings of the publication and had no prior knowledge that these agencies were conducting this operation," the company's statement reads. "We take this publication very seriously and will devote all resources necessary to fully investigate and understand the scope of such sophisticated techniques."
US and UK spy agencies stole the secrets keeping your phone secure
You might not have heard the name "Gemalto" before, but you almost certainly have one of their products in your pocket. As the world's largest maker of SIM cards, it's a company that's directly responsible for making sure your cell phone connects to the right wireless network. According to documents released by Edward Snowden and obtained by The Intercept, though, it was also the target of a covert, coordinated hack committed by NSA agents and allies at Britain's Government Communications Headquarters. Their goal? To quietly get their hands on the encryption keys that keep our phone calls and text messages private so they could tap people's communications without raising suspicions.
Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security
This here narrative begins back in April, when ARM, Giesecke & Devrient and Gemalto teamed up and gave themselves precisely nine months in which to find the perfect brand name for their newly merged mobile security platform. Today, we're looking at the fruits of their efforts: Trustonic; a word which snappily captures the essence of what's at stake (trust-onic) and which you may soon encounter in connection with your next-gen smartphone, Mastercard payment app or 20th Century Fox DRM'd media. What does Trustonic do, exactly? Pretty much what Mobicore already does in the Galaxy S III, or what Trusted Foundation does inside a Tegra-powered tablet: it allows certain pieces of software to tap into hardware-level encryption and authentication, courtesy of the TrustZone silicon that many ARM chips already contain, thereby removing many of the risks associated with malware and other intrusions within the mobile OS. As far as we understand it, the key difference with Trustonic is that it won't require direct input from OEMs like Samsung and NVIDIA, but will instead be more readily accessible to any banking, payment or DRM service that is willing to pay for a key. In return, the service would get enhanced security and faster logins for its users, who'd only need to enter a short, locally-verified PIN rather than wading through cloud-based steps to prove their identity. Indeed, perhaps that's where the tonic comes into it.
Gemalto adds AMEX, Mastercard and Visa certs to its UpTeq NFC SIM
Gemalto has been in the NFC SIM business for a while now, adding the possibility of mobile payments to any GSM phone that'll support it. Now it's become even more legit with the addition of AMEX ExpressPay, MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave certifications to its UpTeq NFC SIM, which is supposedly the first ever NFC SIM to get all three certs. Already in use in Orange France, the high-end SIM lets carriers tailor their own NFC deployments; for example, Singapore operators will add CEPAS, a local payment system alongside the major credit brands, while other carriers like KDDI in Japan and Rogers in Canada will get customizations to fit local requirements. Services like coupon redemption, loyalty programs and transit cards are potential add-ons depending on the market. Now that most carriers around the globe are slowly getting on board the NFC train, a cash-toting wallet could be a relic of the past sooner than we think. You can get the full Gemalto release after the break.
Orange France begins nationwide NFC SIM rollout in the name of 'Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité'
NFC's potential uses are numerous -- contactless mobile payments, automated actions and content sharing to name a few -- but aside from its scattered inclusion in a limited number of handsets in the US and overseas, we've yet to see it truly take off. Cue Orange France. The wireless carrier's taking a non-traditional route to spur adoption by sidestepping manufacturers and bringing the near field communication tech to all 27 million of its subscribers directly. To do this, the operator's implementing Gemalto's UpTeq SIM, a secure NFC solution the company claims is on par with existing chip-based implementations. Going forward, the enhanced SIMs will be standard issue for new post-paid users throughout the carrier's home footprint, while current subs will have to contact Orange to specifically request it. Head on past the break to check out the company's official PR.
ARM seeks better security for connected devices, teams up with Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient
ARM is famous for its low-power chip designs, Gemalto is known for its NFC security features, and Giesecke & Devrient brings some nice nano-SIM notoriety to the table. As a trio, these companies want to push forward a security standard that could be readily used in a wide range of web-connected devices, including tablets, smart TVs, game consoles and smartphones. The standard itself is built on ARM's TrustZone hardware-based security, which has been around for a while and is built into every ARM Cortex-A series processor, but which still isn't as widely used as it could be. By founding an off-shoot company with its partners, ARM hopes to nudge the things along faster and turn TrustZone into the "Blu-ray" of mobile security standards.
Vietnam considers limiting SIM card access, suggests 18 per person is enough
How many SIM cards do you have in your stash? If your answer is less than three per operator -- of every network provider -- then you may have trouble sympathizing with the apparent plight of some Vietnamese. Proposed legislation from the Ministry of Information and Commerce would effectively regulate each citizen to a maximum of three SIMs per carrier (of which there are six), leading to a theoretical limit of 18 SIM cards per individual. The draft law is intended to curb unauthorized distribution in that nation, where SIM cards with student discounts and the like are re-sold without carrier knowledge. The proposal could affect businesses too, limiting each company to a maximum of 100 SIM cards -- but there's no word on whether this cap is per network or absolute. Meanwhile, industry officials insist that a limit of five SIMs per operator would be more reasonable, given the number of SIM-enabled devices available to consumers. What's most clear, though, is that Vietnam is awash in marketing opportunity -- just imagine how popular Nokia could be with a mobile phone that supports 18 SIM cards.[SIM cards via ShutterStock]
Gemalto chosen by Isis to keep its NFC and mobile payment service secure
Let's face it: one of the only ways we'll ever see mobile payments become mainstream is to get the general public on board. To do so, we have to be confident it's safe, and mobile wallets are currently viewed as anything but. Isis, the joint NFC venture between AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, understands this, and just announced that it's teamed up with Gemalto to deploy a Trusted Service Manager to provide secure provisioning of consumer information and sensitive financial data. The Google Wallet competitor appears to be gaining momentum, as the three carriers have pumped $100 million into the initiative, and several OEMs have pledged to support the service in their phones. Isis also went on to discuss that its focus is not going to be entirely on the mobile wallet; it will offer a few other NFC-related services, such as smart posters that can beam coupons and tickets to your phone, using your handset as a key to get access to an office or home, and storing your train or bus tickets. The question remains: if you're confident that your financial information is secure, are you willing to try out contactless pay? Or is it ever truly safe?
Orange and Barclaycard launch 'Quick Tap' NFC mobile payments in the UK
Yay for the UK, it's now one step closer to catching up to the Japan of last decade. Mobile carrier Orange is today launching the UK's first mobile phone contactless payment service, dubbed Quick Tap, for purchases up to £15. It works on MasterCard's PayPass system and requires you to have a Barclays debit or credit card or, alternatively, a credit card from Orange itself. Gemalto is providing the SIM-based NFC compatibility, with Samsung's entirely unrevolutionary Tocco Lite being the (admittedly affordable) launch handset. Then you just need to trust the Quick Pay app to be as secure as promised and you'll be ready to go off and use your phone as a payment terminal at over 50,000 locations, including joints run by McDonald's, Eat, Pret A Manger, Subway, and Wilkinson. A quick intro video and a more expansive press release follow after the break.
Gemalto bringing NFC payments to phones of any intelligence with MasterCard PayPass SIM
We're seeing NFC chips showing up and tickling the innards of more and more mobile devices, but at this rate it's going to be ages before we see some proper market penetration. Gemalto may have just jump-started that process with a new NFC on a SIM card design that's certified by MasterCard PayPass. It's similar to the company's Zuckerberg on a SIM project we heard about last month, but this time it's wirelessly paying for a drink and not wirelessly telling your friends how much you just had to drink. This means near-field wireless payments could be brought to nearly every GSM phone on the planet, also allowing for secure on-device transactions, like adding more minutes to a pre-paid phone. This is said to be the beginning of a "mass commercial roll out," giving us reason to hope that soon forgetting our wallets at home will be a feature and not a bug.
Gemalto puts Facebook on a SIM chip, Zuckerberg's plan for world domination coming along nicely
Smart card guru Gemalto is going to help Mark Zuckerberg take over the world! Ok, not really, but the company has made it possible to put Facebook on just about every GSM phone on earth by running it on a SIM chip. This allows every poke, friend request, and wall post to be transmitted by SMS -- meaning no data plan required -- so that the non-smartphone crowd can access Facebook on the go too. Gemalto, using only the brightest and most creative marketing minds out there, has named the solution "Facebook for SIM." Users get a free trial for an undisclosed period of time before a subscription for the service becomes necessary -- carriers are positively salivating at the prospect of all that extra SMS traffic lining their already deep pockets, no doubt. We knew that Mark had big plans for putting Facebook on phones, but we didn't figure that dumbphones would get to join in the social networking fun. Finally, a chicken in every pot and a Facebook phone (or three) in every home.
Apple reportedly abandons supposed push for integrated SIMs in theoretical European iPhones
This one was all rather rumory to begin with, but play along if you don't mind a pile of unconfirmed reports to start the day. A few weeks back it was said that Apple was working with Gemalto to create a non-removable, software-reconfigurable SIM that would be built right into European iPhones, saving a number of headaches for users and, more importantly, for Apple. This decidedly unconfirmed report was supposedly enough to get European carriers all worked up in a tizzy, angry that, among other things, customers would never need to actually interact with those carriers themselves -- all actions, including activation, could be handled right through the App Store. Now, for the final layer of unconfirmed reporting in this delectably speculative layer cake, we have word from The Daily Telegraph that Apple has apparently given up on this plan and will continue to ship hardware to Europe with honest to gosh SIM cards, just like it always has. In other words: carry on, nothing to see here.
Rumor: Apple, Gemalto working on integrated SIM
GigaOM is reporting on a rumor that Apple has been working with security firm Gemalto, a simcard manufacturer, to create a software-reconfigurable SIM that will be directly integrated into future European iPhones. The iPhone would then be activated on the carrier of your choice by downloading a carrier-specific app from the App Store, instead of the traditional activation methods. Essentially, Apple wouldn't have to worry about bundling carrier-specific SIMs with the iPhone and end-users would have only virtual contact with the carriers. Something Google tried to do with the Nexus One. This would make the overall purchase of an iPhone from Apple's Online Store, or Apple's brick-and-mortar stores, a much simpler and smoother process for the end-user -- whilst cutting out the retail aspect that carriers currently hold. Although, I can't imagine carriers not wanting to sell the iPhone directly from their retail stores since the iPhone is such a hot commodity these days. It'll be interesting to see how this one pans out. [via Engadget]
Apple, Gemalto working on integrated SIM for next iPhone?
Moving from regular SIMs to micro SIMs for the iPad and iPhone 4 was a fairly user-hostile move on Apple's part, seeing how it made moving between an iPhone and virtually any other GSM device quite a bit more difficult; the official explanation (for the iPhone 4, anyway) was that there simply wasn't room for a regular SIM, but that seems unlikely considering that you're only saving 10mm of length, 3mm of width, and 0mm of thickness. A more plausible scenario is that Apple viewed micro SIMs as a way to get ahead of the industry curve a bit and make it unpleasant for users to try to share an iPhone line with other devices, a concept that gets at the core of Apple's mantra of owning the entire ecosystem from end to end. But could they be trying to take that concept another step further? GigaOM is reporting a rumor today that Apple is working tightly with security firm Gemalto -- you know, the SIM guys -- to integrate software-reconfigurable SIMs right into European iPhones that would be activated on the carrier of your choice using an App Store download. Why European models? Multiple carriers offer the iPhone in a number of European countries, so distribution is a bit more complicated there than it is in the US, though it's a reasonable leap to suggest that the same integrated SIMs would be use on new North American iPhones as well. From Apple's perspective, it's a win-win: trying to use your iPhone line with another device would be akin to pulling teeth, and more importantly, Apple wouldn't need to worry about bundling carrier-specific SIMs with devices. In fact, the move would make Apple's (and the consumer's) interactions with the carrier entirely virtual, all the way from manufacture to activation. Seems like the plan would require an extraordinary amount of buy-in from carriers who've become increasingly suspicious of Apple's goals lately -- but then again, they managed to get carriers to suddenly and rapidly deploy micro SIMs en masse, and if anyone could pull this off, it'd be Steve's boys and girls.
Rest easy, iPad roamers: O2 and Orange have micro SIM orders, too
Steve mentioned in his iPad preso yesterday that he was pretty confident the company would have international data deals locked up by June or July of this year -- but since the thing uses some wacky new micro SIM standard, carriers that intend to support it are going to need to get the new chips in stock after having used traditional SIMs for nearly twenty years. That makes moving your iPad around between carriers and your SIM between devices that much harder, but we've got a sliver of good news here: we're hearing from a tipster with connections at supplier Gemalto that O2 and Orange both have micro SIM orders in the pipeline. That doesn't necessarily mean that Apple is going to be trumpeting them as iPad partners with special data plans, of course -- but even if they aren't, at least they'll have the necessary equipment ready for you if you want to use your unlocked tablet on their airwaves. Gemalto also has outstanding orders with T-Mobile and AT&T (of course), so yeah -- it might be a long road, but we're hopeful that these will start to become commonplace over the next few years. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Microsoft and Gemalto bring Windows Live Messenger to SIM cards
First motion detecting SIM cards, now this? Here in Barcelona, Microsoft and Gemalto are tag-teaming in order to bring Windows Live Messenger to otherwise vanilla SIM cards. The application, dubbed SIMessenger, is said to be the planet's first Microsoft-certified instant messaging SIM client solution. Essentially, this enables handsets even without a dedicated WLM client to still stay in touch (via SMS) with their long list of buddies, and evidently three operators -- Oi in Brazil, Personal S.A. in Argentina and Movistar in Peru -- have already started supplying them to customers. Call us crazy, but we get the impression that these won't be headed Stateside anytime soon.
Laptop makers and GSM Association team on Mobile Broadband branding plan
Laptops with built-in WWAN modems aren't anything new, but there's a hodgepodge of hardware and services available -- a situation the GSM Association is trying to simplify with the new Mobile Broadband standardization initiative. Sure, it's mostly an excuse to get another sticker on your gear, but companies like Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Toshiba, Qualcomm and a bunch of carriers are on board to ensure that Mobile Broadband-certified machines will be ready and able to connect in some 91 countries around the world -- and what's more, they're committed to spending a cool billion dollars in the next year promoting MB as a "compelling alternative" to WiFi and WiMAX. That should be an interesting dilemma for the carriers that also run hotspot networks, but we've got a feeling everyone's happy as long as the sub fees keep rolling in.
Gemalto embeds DVD-compliant optical disc into WIND SIM card
Movies on flash drives aren't looking like the next big thing, but Gemalto reckons its approach to getting DVD content on smaller surfaces is different enough to get noticed. In an admittedly bizarre release, the digital security firm has announced a new Smart Video Card for Italian carrier WIND, which "embeds a DVD-compliant optical disc into the card body of a regular SIM card." The card can store practically any digital content (including video, software or URLs) and can reportedly be played back on any DVD drive. So what, we buy a new SIM card each time we're looking for a new batch of miniaturized content? Fabulous![Via FashionFunky, thanks Bob]
